How to Handle Anxiety About a Promotion

Co-authored by Colleen Campbell, PhD, PCC

Last Updated: December 11, 2022 References

Getting a promotion at work is an exciting and rewarding experience. Not only does it reflect your supervisor’s trust in your abilities, it also comes with new responsibilities and better compensation. At the same time, you might feel substantial stress and anxiety associated with your promotion. Ultimately, though, by mastering your position, talking with your boss, and getting feedback from others, you’ll be able handle your anxiety in a healthy way.

Things You Should Know

It’s totally normal to feel anxious once you’ve been promoted, and it may feel like you don’t deserve it or that you’ll fail in your new role.
While these impulses are normal, it’s usually just a fear of the unknown guiding your emotions and there’s no rational reason that you can’t be successful.
If upper management thinks that you’re ready for the new responsibilities, you’ve got nothing to worry about; they wouldn’t promote you if they thought you weren’t ready!
Try speaking to other employees who have held the same role in the past and ask them what it was like when they were starting out; they’ll be able to give you some really helpful advice.
Your boss is going to expect that you’ll run into some trouble early on, so do not hesitate to ask for help—it isn’t a sign of weakness!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Mastering Your Position

1
Reflect upon your strengths and challenges. A great way to deal with your anxiety is to critically examine your strengths and challenges when it comes to your job and promotion. While identifying strengths will boost your confidence, identifying challenges will help you know where you need improvement.
- Make a list of your strengths. List things you know you’re good at, won awards for, or things others have complimented you for.
- Consider your challenges. This is a great time to critically assess where you need some work. Common challenges may include how you interact with coworkers, your organizational approach, or the way you manage time.
- When listing strengths and challenges, think about prior performance evaluations and conversations with supervisors.^{[1]
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EXPERT TIP

Colleen Campbell, PhD, PCC
Career & Life Coach
Dr. Colleen Campbell is the Founder and CEO of The Ignite Your Potential Centers, Career and Life Coaching based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Colleen is an International Coach Federation accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Colleen received her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Sofia University and has been career coaching since 2008.

Colleen Campbell, PhD, PCC
Career & Life Coach

Be kind to yourself. Colleen Campbell, the CEO of Ignite Your Potential, says: "Getting a promotion is really a positive thing, but it can come with anxiety. Acknowledge to yourself that you'll have to deal with a learning curve, so you won't feel like you have mastery of your job anymore. You might feel awkward or uncomfortable, but that means you're growing. Just remind yourself that you're doing a great job, and be patient if it takes a while to make the adjustment."
2
Understand your new responsibilities. The first step in mastering your new position is to gain a complete understanding of the job you’ll be assuming. Without this information, you won’t be able to set priorities for your new job or put together a plan of action.
- Learn about how you will be evaluated. For instance, does your boss expect certain productivity levels, milestones, or growth?
- Speak with the person who previously held the job, if possible. They may have insight that can help you understand the job. Say something like “John, can you tell me about some of the challenges or opportunities I might face in this position?” This will work best if that person has been promoted, too.
- Ask for any appropriate records or documents associated with the position. For instance, if you’re being promoted to general manager of a fast food restaurant, take some time to look at your cash flow and income statements. You may see problems or possibilities where the previous GM did not.^{[2]
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- Understand that this will take time. Don't expect to have completely mastered and understood your new position after a month.
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3
Set priorities for your new role. Before assuming your new position, you need to spend time devising a plan and setting priorities. Without putting together a plan of action, you’ll feel unfocused and anxious about your new job.
- Think about short-term goals and what you need to do on your first day or during the first month after your promotion. This may include hiring new staff or reorganizing a division or department.
- Think about long-term goals, such as boosting efficiency and productivity.
- Set personal goals and priorities. For instance, you may look into additional certifications that you can acquire to help you succeed in your new role and move up in the company. Or you may want to take some courses that help you develop skills important in leadership, such as communication or negotiation.^{[3]
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  Harvard Business Review
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4
Use a planner and stay organized. Use a planner to keep track of everything you need to do. Having things down in writing will help you stay organized and clear your mind of all the little tasks you want to try and complete. This way, you can be sure you won't forget to do something, and you can focus on what you're working on in the moment instead of trying to remember all the other things you'll need to do.
- Use your planner to break large tasks down into smaller, more manageable tasks. For instance, if you have a presentation at the end of the week, schedule time each day to work on a different section so that the deadline doesn't sneak up on you, leaving you stressed and unprepared.
5
Be confident. Confidence is one of the keys to overcoming anxiety and excelling at whatever you do. Without confidence, you’ll second guess yourself and fear failure. Becoming confident in your new role will take time — it requires you to become familiar with the job and master your responsibilities — so in the meantime, it's important to esteem yourself and remember that you are capable.
- Reflect on your abilities and think about why you’ve been selected for a promotion. Ask yourself, “Why would management pick me for this position if I was not capable?”
- Think about your experience, education, and people skills. These are assets that make you a valuable employee.
6
Manage work stress. In order to excel at your career, you need to manage any stress associated with your job. Fortunately, there are a variety of relaxation methods you can embrace to deal with your stress and anxieties.
- Practice yoga.
- Use breathing exercises. For example, when you find yourself becoming stressed or anxious, inhale deeply and slowly exhale while counting to ten.
- Make time to exercise. Whether it's yoga or running or just taking a walk around the block, any form of exercise can help you deal with stress. Exercise boosts your endorphins, can be a form of meditation, increases confidence, and improves mood.^{[4]
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  Mayo Clinic
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- Eat healthy. When people are stressed, they often reach for comfort foods to help them feel better. This often leads to overeating and guilt and, if you binge on something sweet, the drastic rise and drop in insulin could cause serious mood swings. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals, and never skip a meal because you think you're too busy.
- Embrace mindfulness and live in the moment. To do this, focus on present tasks and keep everything in perspective. By doing this, you'll keep your stresses in perspective and will effectively manage anxiety.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Speaking with Your Boss

1
Establish a positive relationship with your boss. By building a good relationship with your supervisor, you’ll both open the channels of communication and relieve your own stress about your position. Depending on the person, your boss may even offer you valuable insight about how you can excel.
- Make it clear that you want to both work with and for your new supervisor. When first talking to your supervisor about the promotion, let them know that you “look forward to working with them.”
- Ask your boss if there are any priorities they want you to focus on. For instance, say something like, "Jim, before I get started, is there anything you want me to focus on from the get go? I know you have high expectations, and I want to make sure I exceed them."
- Always be respectful of your boss.
- Be deferential and don’t overstep your position or authority. Let your boss know that they are in charge. For example, if your boss prefers you to refer to them by their title (Dr., Mrs., or Mr.), respect that.^{[6]
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2
Prepare yourself. Always prepare yourself before talking with your new supervisor about your promotion. By being prepared, you’ll be ready to talk with knowledge about the position. This will most likely impress your new supervisor and help you to be more confident.
- Explain your goals and priorities for the position. For example, explain your short-term, long-term, or personal goals.
- If you have a meeting about the promotion, make sure you’ve taken the time to look over any associated documents. For instance, say something like "I've looked at the comps and the cash flow statement of the location, and I really think that there is a huge opportunity for growth."
- Stay focused on your goal and on demonstrating that you are capable and should be promoted.
3
Articulate your excitement about the position. A good way to handle your anxiety is to refocus it into enthusiasm. "Focus on the positive, fun or creative aspects of the new position instead of the challenges.
- Say something like “Thank you so much for this opportunity — I’m really looking forward to showing the organization what I can do.”
- Let your boss know what aspects of the job you are really looking forward to. For instance, if you’re tasked with the challenge of establishing a new location, let them know that you think it is an exciting opportunity to get into a new market.^{[7]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Communicating with Others

1
Consult a mentor. A mentor is someone you know who has a lot more experience than you in your industry. Look to your network for someone you trust and admire who is willing to spend time with you and help you develop professionally. Your mentor will be able to provide you with valuable insight about the promotion process.
- Schedule a lunch with your mentor.
- Share your concerns and anxieties with your mentor. For example, say something like, “Tom, I’m really nervous about this promotion. I think it entails a level of management I’ve never had before.”
- Listen to your mentor. As someone senior in your field, they’ll likely have had similar experiences over the course of their career.
2
Look to friends and family for support. Your friends and family will be able to provide you with encouragement about your abilities.
- Talk to your significant other. They’ll likely understand your anxieties and insecurities more than anyone else. Thus, they’ll be able to offer comfort that others may not be able to provide.
- Practice what you’ll say with your boss with your family. Have friends and family put together mock interviews.^{[8]
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3
Talk to trusted colleagues. By networking with colleagues, you’ll be able to get their opinion on the promotion and what opportunities or challenges you’ll find with it. They may offer new and creative insights that you can apply in your new position.
- Trusted colleagues have observed you in the work environment and will be able to give you a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses.
- Say something like “I’m really nervous about this new position. Do you think I can handle it?” Most of the time, they’ll answer in the affirmative and tell you why.
- Remember to be sensitive to the feelings of people you may work with — you might not be the only one who wanted a promotion.^{[9]
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